PDF The Challenges of an Aging Higher Ed Workforce

[Pages:9]The Challenges of an Aging Higher Ed Workforce

Adam Pritchard, Ph.D., Senior Survey Researcher Jingyun Li, M.S., Survey Researcher Jasper McChesney, M.S., Data Visualization Researcher Jacqueline Bichsel, Ph.D., Director of Research

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THE CHALLENGES OF AN AGING HIGHER ED WORKFORCE

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About CUPA-HR

CUPA-HR is higher ed HR. We serve higher education by providing the knowledge, resources, advocacy and connections to achieve organizational and workforce excellence. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and serving more than 31,000 HR professionals and other campus leaders at more than 2,000 institutions, the association offers learning and professional development programs, higher education workforce data, extensive online resources, and just-in-time regulatory and legislative information.

Citation for This Report:

Pritchard, Adam; Li, Jingyun; McChesney, Jasper; and Bichsel, Jacqueline. (2019, August). The Challenges of an Aging Higher Ed Workforce (Research Report). CUPA-HR. Available from: .

This report was made possible with the support of:

? 2019 CUPA-HR

THE CHALLENGES OF AN AGING HIGHER ED WORKFORCE

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? 2019 CUPA-HR

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Introduction

The population of the United States is getting older. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), older workers -- which the BLS defines as those who are 55 and older -- made up 22% of the U.S. workforce in 2016, nearly double the 12% recorded in 1995.1 This increase is largely "fueled by the aging baby-boom generation, a large group of people born between 1946 and 1964" (currently aged 55 to 73).2 As baby boomers approach retirement age and exit the workforce in the coming decade, they will be followed by Generation X -- a generation that's nearly 30% smaller.3 For HR professionals, these facts present challenges such as salary compression and a shrinking domestic talent pool for key positions in the future.

This brief focuses on the implications of the aging staff workforce in higher education, specifically professionals and non-exempt staff.4 We analyze the age distribution of higher ed staff, identify the job areas with the largest aging workforce, examine pay equity for women and men with varying levels of experience, and highlight the higher ed staff positions where salary compression is the most common.

1 Toossi, M., & Torpey, E. (2017, May). Older Workers: Labor Force Trends and Career Options. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2 Ibid.

3 Fry, R. (2018, March). Millennials Projected to Overtake Baby Boomers as America's Largest Generation. Pew Research Center.

4 Salary and demographic data for higher education professionals and non-exempt staff are sourced from the 2019 CUPA-HR Professionals in Higher Education Survey and Staff in Higher Education Survey. Data include 446,844 staff in 540 different positions. Annualized salary data were collected and standardized according to procedures set forth in the Professionals and Staff Survey Participation and Information Templates.

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Age Distribution of Staff

The median age for all higher ed staff is 45. In the overall U.S. workforce, the median age is 42.5 Figure 1 shows the percentage of employees in each age group among the higher ed staff workforce compared to the U.S. workforce overall. There is a much smaller percentage of younger employees (under 25) and a larger percentage of older employees (over 55) in higher ed than in the overall U.S. workforce. Employees who are 55 years old and older make up almost one-third (29%) of the higher ed staff workforce, whereas less than one-fourth (23%) of the U.S. workforce is over 55.6 Higher ed already has more older employees than the projected U.S. labor force share of 25% by 2024.7 Since higher ed has a greater share of older workers than other industries, it may need to act to address the challenges of an aging workforce much sooner.

STAFF IN HIGHER EDUCATION SURVEY 2019

Percentage of Higher Ed Staff and U.S. Workforce by Age Group

Higher Ed Staff

U.S. Workforce

25%

20%

15% Percentage

of Staff 10%

5%

0%

12%

2% ................
................

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